Versión de HTML Básico
Policy: The Bibleand WelfareReform
89
radio address to the poverty conditions of teen mothers and to the wel
fare that they receive made it clear that the sexual reproduction of poor
girls was the main subject of his concern. Their sexual behavior was pre
venting the nation from moving ahead to achieve its goals in the twenty-
first century.
However, Clinton conveyed a sense of hope and efficacy when he
boasted in this same speech about the “executive action” he took to deny
welfare benefits to “young mothers” who do not remain in school. Puni
tive manipulation of access to the funds needed to support the livelihood
of poor mothers and children was seen by this president as an outstand
ing achievement worthy of so much attention in his New Year’s radio
address. His speech reiterated a familiar linkage in popular political
rhetoric about the key social problems facing the nation. Crime, welfare,
and out-of-wedlock births were collectively cited as the most pressing
national issues, with teen pregnancy (a subset of the out-of-wedlock birth
issue) described as the number one problem. This selection of references
placed the onus on a particular marginalized population, targeting, in a
thinly veiled way, poor, urban, racial minorities. In explaining what
impedes the progress of this nation, President Clinton selected problems
of some of the very poorest communities. He lumped together the prob
lem of (street?) crime, the government program of welfare benefits, and
the birth of children to parents who are not married—all under the cate
gory of irresponsible behavior in this nation—and designated poor teenage
mothers as the preeminent problem.
When the president of the United States argues that the power to hin
der the nation’s progress rests primarily upon the sexual reproductive
behavior of the most economically and socially disenfranchised group of
girls in American communities, a highly distorted notion of reality is por
trayed. It is precisely the depth of their social vulnerability that makes the
girls such good candidates for this distortion. Additionally, the selection
of their sexual reproductive behavior creates an ideal tool for shaming and
silencing them as well as any potential dissenters from this constructed
reality. Placing mothering behavior in the same context as “other” shame
ful behavior, such as crime, equates or at least directly relates the birthing
and raising of children by these girls with the victimizing of others by
means of assault or the taking of life and property. The connection with
such criminality annuls any claims poor women and girls might have to
being innocent members of our community. Most importantly, Clinton
together with other leaders enacted formal regulations for their lives
based upon these shaming moral caricatures.